The Victor of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games
by kirkara
Summary: This story is told in Peeta's POV. It is now the Final Battle of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. Read as you Peeta sees it happen, for in this battle, the Victor will be Chosen. My summaries suck so please R&R. ONE-SHOT


So hey. This is my first HG fanfic, I hope you enjoy this.

This shows the Final Battle of the 74th Hunger Games in Peeta's POV and that he wins.

We see them. The muttations. Cato has shown up, not to kill us, but to escape from them. I think he tried to leave Katniss and I as bait to get away from them. Katniss starts to run and I do too. We run, blindly, following Cato towards his destination. He seems to have been running from them for quite a long time, yet can still sprint great. Plus, he has that body armor. Killing him and getting away from these mutts seem like hard things to do. However, the priority is escaping from these mutts. We'll kill Cato later. If we escape these mutts.

There it is. Katniss and I spot it at the same time. The Cornucopia, sitting there, offering protection from the mutts that chase us. I try to run faster but Katniss manages to outrun me. I frantically try to keep up. Katniss has managed to climb ontop of the Cornucopia while I am still on the ground, running. I get to the wall and Katniss reaches down for me. I take her hand, hoping not to be much of a burden to her, and start scaling the wall. I have difficulty in doing this task, for I am hampered by my knife. Katniss lets an arrow fly, and I realize the mutts are on my heels. I frantically climb faster. A mutt has managed to reach the wall. Alarmed, Katniss lets another arrow fly, ending that mutt's life. Finally, I reach the top of the Cornucopia.

Exhausted, I fall on the roof. I lay on my back, gasping for air. Suddenly, I remember Cato. It seems Katniss has too, and we both turn to face him. He looks to in quite an amount of pain. Cramps, probably. I hear the mutts growling and a thought crosses my mind. What if they can climb the wall? I am about to ask Katniss this when Cato coughs something unintelligently. I do not understand what he says, he only sounds like he is coughing. He coughs again, and this time I catch what he has to say.

"What?" Katniss shouts at Cato.

"He asked if the mutts can climb it." I shout back. It's uncanny how we both thought of the same matter.

The mutts begin to assemble. I notice they all have black thick coats and can stand on their hind legs, giving them an eery human-like quality. The coat however, varies from curly, straight, some jet black, some blond. It's as if they were unevolved humans. Suddenly, my eyes are greeted by the sight of the mutts putting their snouts on the metal, sniffing it, tasting it. This occurs to me that it is their way of communicating with each other.

Katniss shrieks. I turn to her, bewildered. Has Cato moved and incapacitated her? No. She is looking at a mutt, a mutt with a golden coat, and... green eyes? What is that thing? I notice she has a collar with the number 1 inlaid in it. I move towards her and grasp her arm.

"Katniss, what's wrong?" I ask.

"It's her!" Katniss barely manages to utter.

"Who?"

Instead of replying, Katniss examines them all, looking at each frantically. I do too. There is nothing wrong, the mutts look the same, teeth bared in hatred at us. I am alarmed, for Katniss still hasn't recovered.

"What is it?" I ask again.

"It's them. All of them" She replies. I am puzzled. Who are they? "Rue, and Foxface... all the dead tributes."

I gasp. She's right. It is them.

"What do you think they did to them?" I ask. That's when I notice their eyes. Their eyes... "Could those be their real eyes?"

Katniss is in deep thought when when the mutts split into two groups and go to each side of the Cornucopia. They use their incredibly powerful hindquarters to launch themselves at us. I am starting to panic when I feel a horrible pain on my leg. A mutt has grabbed me. I fall on my chest and am yanked onto the ground, bringing Katniss with me.

Katniss! I have endangered her life! These thoughts flood my head as I see using all her strength to try to pull me back onto the Cornucopia. As she does this, I notice more mutts/tributes coming.

Katniss is screaming at me to kill the mutt on my leg, and I stab at it frantically, operating fully on adrenaline. Finally, I am back on the roof with her. We move towards the area where we feel there is safety, away from the mutts, away from their claws.

Suddenly, I remember Cato. It appears Katniss has too, for she gets her bow and arrow and aim at where he was lying. I see that he has still not gotten up, but his breath is slowing, indicating he is almost recovered. Katniss is about to let the arrow fly when a huge, black mutt jumps at us. She turns quickly and lets it fly at the beast instead. Thankfully, or unfortunately, the arrow embeds itself on the neck of that mutt.

She is about to face Cato when I feel a sharp, jarring pain spread across my leg. A mutt has managed to claw me. I stab the mutt, then I notice the hole it has left. Blood is gushing out of it, and I turn to Katniss for help when a powerful arm closes around my neck, blocking my air. I claw at it weakly, knowing it can only be Cato. I see Katniss aim one of the last two of her arrows at Cato. I am puzzled about how Cato has reacted. He only laughs at Katniss.

"Shoot me, and he goes down too." Cato says. I realize he is right. I don't really care if I die, as long as Katniss lives, but another thing plagues my mind. Then I remember Cato's armour. Even if Katniss shoots, she wouldn't be able to kill him. I realize we have reached a stalemate. The two of them stand like statues. The lack of air has made me light headed, and added to the loss of blood, weak. Then, an idea enters my head. I can only hope Katniss understands what I am about to do. I make an X mark on Cato's finger.

Katniss' eyes flash. She understands. She lets the arrow fly. Cato's pain reflex makes him to let go of me, but I cannot dive forward. The lack of air is to blame. Instead, I feel myself falling back with Cato. Katniss dives forward, however and she manages to pull me towards her.

The impact of Cato hitting the ground is unmistakable. The mutts flock around him and he lets out screams of agonizing pain. We wait for his cannon to fire, but it has not. This must be the climax of the Games, and the Gamemakers will not let it go by fast.

Cato must have a knife hidden because on occasion, we hear a mutt die. I suddenly double over, weak from the blood loss. I do not remember much but when I wake, Cato still hasn't died. I know I am at Death's Door because I feel weak. Katniss looks relieved when I wake but she gives me a stern warning not to sleep again. I ask her if she is cold because her jacket acts as the tourniquet for my leg. I do not wait for her reply, I just unzip my jacket and give it to her. Suddenly I notice the Cornucopia become freezing cold.

"Cato may still win this, you know." She whispers to me.

"Don't even think about it." I say back.

The next hours are horrible. Cato still isn't dead. Katniss asks me why Cato isn't being killed.

"You know why." I reply.

I begin to feel doozy and each time I lose consciousness, Katniss jolts me awake. This goes on, and on until a full day has passed, yet Cato's cannon hasn't been fired.

I see Cato, near us. He is no longer the strong boy from District 2. He is now a hunk of flesh, now wishing desperately for death. I ask Katniss if she can shoot Cato, as a final act of mercy towards him. She states that her last arrow is now in my tourniquet.

"Make it count then." I say, tearing it free and giving it to her. Katniss stands, and searches the horizon for Cato. I see him and he looks like he is saying something. My heart breaks because the thing he is asking desperately for is please.

Katniss lets the arrow fly, and it strikes Cato in his mouth. "Did you get him?" I ask. In reply, the cannons fire.

"We win, Katniss." I whisper hoarsely.

"Hurray for us." Katniss says in a dead voice. The mutts disappear into the horizon. Katniss looks puzzled however. Then I realize it's because they still hasn't taken Cato's body. She asks me if we can make it to the lake and I reply that I will try.

We manage to do it, and then it happens. I hold Katniss' hand when the hovercraft takes Cato's body and tears fill her eyes. Now we can go home.

"What are they waiting for?" I ask suddenly. Alarmed by the loss of blood.

"I don't know." she replies.

Then there. Claudius' voice comes on. "Greetings to the final contestants of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. The previous revision has been revoked. Closer examination of the rule book states that only one winner may be crowned. Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor."

It was a plot. A stupid plot to make this year's Hunger Games sensational. I lose all hope, and hope Katniss will win. I want Katniss to win. Slowly, I take out my knife. Katniss reacts with hostility, aiming her last arrow at my heart. Not doing anything, I just put my knife back. She lowers her bow, her eyes full of shame.

"No. Do it." I say, limping to her. This is for her. The girl I love.

"Are you sure?" She asks. I nod, and she begins to raise her bow again.

"Before you kill me, can I have a last hug?" I ask weakly.

Tears in her eyes, she nods. She goes towards me and we hug, oblivious towards the world.

Katniss screams suddenly, dropping to the ground. Blood splashes on my boot as she drops. In my hand is the knife, red with her blood.

"Why Peeta? Why?" She asks, her voice weak.

"Why? WHY?" I shout. "I LOVED YOU! AND YOU TOOK ADVANTAGE OF ME AND WAS WILLING TO KILL ME!"

"You made the request yourself Peeta..." She says, her voice getting weaker.

"It was a test." I reply coldly. I drop on my knees, and caress her face.

"I love you, Katniss..." I whisper. I kiss her for the final I bury the knife in her skull.

The cannon fires and Claudius' voice comes on.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, May I present to you, the winner of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Peeta Mellark - the tribute from District Twelve!"

I smile as the hovercraft arrives, to heal me.

I have won.


End file.
